Signs and Wonders
by centerfield
Summary: The sequel to Love and War (though you can start here and it'll still mostly make sense). Having survived the ordeal at the Ministry of Magic, Harry and Cedric are looking forward to a quieter year at Hogwarts. But things never quite work out as planned and they find themselves embroiled in further danger, as a trap plotted across several lifetimes begins to close.
1. Prologue - The Hospital Wing

**Author Notes **– That's right, Harry and Cedric are back for a new story. In fact, it's the sequel to Love and War (which can be found here: s/9368501/1/Love-and-War). I can promise more mysteries, excitement, bad jokes and generally twee romance between our major characters. But it's great to be writing again and any comments/feedback you have is greatly appreciated. Hope you enjoy the ride.

**Rating** – PG (just for the time being).

**Note – **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, that privilege belongs to JK Rowling.

**PROLOGUE**

**_The Hospital Wing_**

Harry could have sworn he was having a nightmare. Nothing else could possibly explain why one moment he had been standing in a graveyard, his wand held uselessly by his side as he watched a cloaked figure march towards him, and the next he found himself lying in a bed in the Hospital Wing. At least he assumed it was the Hospital Wing. His senses hadn't quite returned but he recognised the feel of the bed under him and the warm sheets that covered him. He struggled to open his eyes and found himself looking into the face of Albus Dumbledore, who was sitting on a chair at the side of his bed, watching him with a curious expression.

'Sir,' said Harry, and Dumbledore smiled at him. Then he asked the only question he could think of, 'What happened to me sir?'

'Well now Harry,' replied the Headmaster. 'I was rather hoping you would be able to tell me that. How are you feeling?'

Harry considered his answer for a moment. He certainly wasn't in any physical pain, but something wasn't right, he could tell. It was as if he was forgetting something important. He had no idea how he had ended up in the Hospital Wing. 'I'm not sure sir,' he said in the end. 'I'm having trouble remembering exactly what's happened to me.'

Dumbledore frowned a little. 'I should have expected that. Let me tell you my boy that you gave us all quite a fright when you failed to reappear after leaving the Ministry.'

Harry struggled to recall what Dumbledore was talking about. Yes, that was right, he could remember the Ministry, fighting that creature, whatever it was, and then the fire. There had been fire, and he had escaped through one of the fireplaces, and ended up in a graveyard. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had forgotten some important detail.

'There was fire,' he said in the end, and Dumbledore nodded encouragingly. 'But we got away. You and me and Merlin. But then this man appeared. He cast a spell, I'm sure, and the fire in the grate turned suddenly green and the next thing I knew I was standing in an overgrown graveyard. I'd been there before.'

'When?' asked Dumbledore, leaning forward, as though he was now listening more intently to what Harry was saying.

'In a dream,' replied Harry. He realised how silly he sounded saying it, but Dumbledore leaned back again, his face in an expression of understanding. 'It was in the village where Voldemort grew up.'

'The village of Little Hangleton,' supplied Dumbledore, and Harry nodded, assuming that the Headmaster was right. 'Yes, that was what I suspected. And can you remember anything that happened after you appeared in the graveyard Harry?'

'Yes,' said Harry, straining his memory for what little he could remember. 'There was a cloaked man. He was holding what looked like a bundle of robes. But then my scar hurt, it was more painful than ever.' He instinctively reached up and touched the lightning scar on his forehead, but it wasn't hurting at that moment. 'And then I heard _his_ voice, Voldemort's. He said "Kill the spare" I think and then the next thing I knew I was waking up here with you.'

'I see,' said Dumbledore. Silence fell between them for a few moments. 'Let me tell you what happened from my perspective Harry. When we escaped the Ministry, after having defeated that terrible opponents of ours, Merlin and I reappeared in the fireplace in my office. But there was no sign of you. I immediately began to worry, had you managed to escape the Ministry at all? So, I set about tracking you down, and my search took me to the village of Little Hangleton, to the precise graveyard that you have just described. And do you know what I found there?'

'What?' said Harry, feeling uneasy.

'Nothing but you lying unconscious on the ground Harry. No sign of Voldemort, of Wormtail.' Harry raised his eyebrows in response to that name. 'Yes, that must have been who was carrying that bundle of robes that you described. I brought you back to Hogwarts with me, and set about searching for Voldemort and Wormtail. But there is no sign of them anywhere. They have vanished without a trace, mere hours after launching a plan that I'm sure would have seen the Dark Lord returned to his body.'

'So what happened to them sir?' asked Harry, desperate to know more.

'I've no idea Harry. That is what I have been trying to find out in the three days since I brought you back and began my search.'

It took Harry a little while to process this information. 'Three days? You mean I've been in the Hospital Wing asleep...unconscious, whatever...for three whole days.'

'Yes. We tried waking you but to no avail. We were worried, but Madam Pomfrey assured us that your life-signs were all perfectly healthy and that you would wake up when you felt it was most appropriate.' Dumbledore smiled a little. 'How like a teenager.'

'But sir,' said Harry, suddenly realising the implication of all that Dumbledore had said. 'You said there was no sign of Voldemort in the graveyard. If I've been asleep for three days then how did you know that Voldemort was involved?'

Dumbledore studied him curiously for a moment, as though he couldn't quite understand what Harry was asking. 'You have forgotten something Harry,' he said in the end.

Harry found his response extremely unhelpful. 'Yes sir I know,' he replied, trying not to sound rude. 'I've forgotten how what happened after I appeared in the...' He broke off, because Dumbledore was looking at him with an odd expression, as though he found Harry completely unfathomable.

'This is fascinating. I had Madam Pomfrey conduct a complete medical examination of you. She insists that you have not been the victim of any spells or potions or enchantments. And yet, you can't remember...'

'Can't remember what sir?' asked Harry, his patient beginning to wear thin.

Dumbledore stood up suddenly, revealing the bed next to Harry's. Harry looked over and saw someone lying on it, clearly asleep, his chest rising and falling slowly. Harry looked into the face of his neighbour and something stirred in his memory. 'Cedric,' he whispered slowly.

Then it all came flooding back. Of course, he had not been alone when he had left the Ministry. Cedric Diggory, his boyfriend, had been with him. How on earth could he possibly have forgotten him? Cedric had gone with him to the graveyard. He could remember Cedric kneeling by his side while his scar burned fiercely, desperate to know what was wrong, what he could do to help. It was Cedric who had faced down the robed figure. 'Kill the spare,' Harry muttered. It was Cedric that Voldemort had been referring to.

Harry tried to leap out of bed, but Dumbledore held out a hand quickly, and Harry found his strength vanish and he fell back against his pillows. 'Please, don't alarm yourself Harry. Cedric is fine, he is just resting. Madam Pomfrey has given him a very strong sleeping potion, he will not awake for several hours yet. It was he who told me what happened in the graveyard, and his story is identical to yours. It was because Cedric told me that I have been able to conduct my own investigations into what exactly has been happening. So far, with little success, I am sorry to say.'

'Sir,' said Harry, a small lump in his throat. 'What's happened to me? Why couldn't I remember Cedric?'

'As to that Harry, I'm afraid I cannot say. But the important thing is that you remember him now. Though I don't suppose that has stirred any memories of what happened after Voldemort and Wormtail appeared in the graveyard?'

Harry shook his head. 'No sir, I'm sorry.'

'Please,' said Dumbledore, raising his hand. 'There is no need to apologise. It's not your fault. But we must try to find out what happened. I'm sure that will be the key to discovering what has happened to Voldemort.'

'Can't Merlin help you with your search sir?' asked Harry, remembering the little man in the white suit that had been an ever-present fixture in his life for the last year.

'I'm afraid not Harry,' said Dumbledore. 'Merlin has gone on his way. I don't know if or when he will return. He likes to do that.'

'Sir,' said Harry, although he felt hesitant broaching the subject after everything that had happened. 'You said that you and Merlin were old friends. How did that come about?'

Dumbledore looked at him for a moment. 'A story for another time Harry. Right now, I'm more concerned with the present.'

'What are we going to do now sir?' asked Harry, keen to know more about what Dumbledore had discovered while he had been unconscious.

'You Harry, you are going to go home for the summer. And you are going to rest.' Harry felt momentarily thrown by this. 'What happened in that graveyard will be for me to discover. You have already been through more than enough this year. My associates and I will take over from here.'

'But sir...' Harry began, but Dumbledore gave him a stern look, and he knew that there was no point arguing. 'If that's what you want sir.'

'Excellent,' said Dumbledore. 'I felt sure you'd understand. Anyway, you deserve a break. You and Cedric should enjoy some time together while you can. Away from the stresses and strains of school life. You've both got important years coming up, I'm sure you'll want to get...er, reacquainted while you've got the chance.'

'Yes sir,' said Harry, looking over at Cedric once more. 'Are you sure he's all right?'

'Perfectly Harry,' said Dumbledore, smiling once more. 'Which is quite remarkable really,' he added, as an afterthought.

'What do you mean sir?' asked Harry, and he suddenly felt nervous again.

'Because Harry,' said Dumbledore, his face forming into a frown again. 'According to Madam Pomfrey's medical examination, young Cedric here was struck with a Killing Curse not three days ago. Considering the circumstances, I think he's doing remarkably well.'


	2. Chapter 1 - Six Weeks Later

**Author Notes** – I've decided to use shorter chapters than in Love and War, because it allows for more regular updates and a greater number of potential viewers. That's two updates in two days, which unfortunately will not be a regular thing. I hope to update as often as possible but it all depends on how much time I have. Hope you're all enjoying it so far, because there's plenty more to come. Please read, review and share.

**Rating** – PG.

**Note – **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, that privilege belongs to JK Rowling.

**CHAPTER ONE**

_**Six Weeks Later**_

Harry knew instinctively who it would be as soon as he heard the doorbell ring. He was sitting in his room in his Aunt and Uncle's house, having just thrown the last of his textbooks into his trunk, and was absent-mindedly stroking Hedwig as he sat and waited. He had received a letter that morning that had just told him to pack all his things and wait for someone to come and collect him. He hoped that he would be going to the Burrow, but if this was something that Dumbledore had arranged, then you could never be too sure.

'Get down here then!' came the sound of his Uncle's voice. Harry sighed, at the news that even the prospect of him leaving for another year did little to change Uncle Vernon's foul mood. Mind you, he put a lot of it down to lack of food these days, as Dudley's diet was still being strictly enforced by Aunt Petunia. Not that it seemed to make any difference to the size of his cousin of course.

He yawned as he stood up, and took hold of his trunk. It was extremely heavy, and slowly, he struggled to get it out of his room, desperately trying to avoid knocking any lumps out of the wall, and brought in downstairs to rest just in front of the door. The three Dursleys were gathered around, all with dark expressions on their faces. 'Open the door then,' growled Uncle Vernon.

'Oh I'm so sorry,' replied Harry. 'I didn't realise you'd all forgotten how a door handle works.' Before Uncle Vernon could respond to this particular jibe, Harry had thrown the front door open to reveal Cedric standing on the threshold, his face fixed in what Harry could tell was a painfully forced smile.

'Hello all!' Cedric said, far too cheerily. 'What an absolute pleasure it is to...'

'Yes, all right, don't overdo it,' said Harry. 'Let's just get a move on shall we? I'm sure my Aunt and Uncle will be much happier once I'm out of their hair.'

'You've got that right,' muttered Uncle Vernon darkly, and Harry couldn't help notice that Cedric's smile became, if at all possible, even more false. 'Well, off you go then.'

Cedric reached into his robes and took out his wand. The Dursleys all blanched and moved several steps backwards. 'Please don't concern yourselves,' said Cedric, although Harry could tell that he had thoroughly enjoyed frightening them like that. 'I'm not going to demolish your fireplace or anything.' He gave a small chuckle, and then spotted the look that Uncle Vernon was giving him. 'Wow, tough crowd. I'm just going to make Harry's trunk a little lighter. He's not got a good track record when it comes to trunk accidents.'

'Whoa,' said Harry, with mock outrage. 'Last time was entirely your fault...' He tailed off, suddenly remembering where he was, and that it probably wasn't a good idea to be flirting quite so obviously with his boyfriend in front of his relatives. They could barely cope with the fact that he was a wizard, let alone if they knew about his sexuality. 'Well, we'd better go. See you then.'

Cedric tapped his trunk once and Harry was then able to lift it easily. They took an end each and together walked out of his Aunt and Uncle's house, on to the quiet and dimly lit pavement of Privet Drive. 'What happens now?' asked Harry, after the door had closed.

'I don't know, I thought we could hitch-hike,' replied Cedric, looking around.

'Oh, very funny,' said Harry sarcastically. In reality, of course, he would have liked nothing more than to jump Cedric there and then, after several weeks of no physical contact at all. But as probably wasn't a good idea in the middle of Privet Drive, he settled for just kicking him playfully in the shins.

'Ouch,' said Cedric. 'I'm deadly serious. Of course, we're not literally going to hitchhike. But it's the next best thing.' Before Harry could work out what Cedric was talking about, the older boy had stuck out his right arm and let out a loud whistling sound. A moment later, a gigantic purple bus appeared from nowhere, sliding inelegantly to a halt just where Cedric's arm had been a moment before.

Harry recognised it at once as the Knight Bus, the mode of transport he had used to get London when he had run away from his Aunt and Uncle's two years previously. 'Kill me now,' he said. 'You mean I've got to spend more time on this lurid purple death trap?'

'Oh, stop whinging,' said Cedric. 'This is a perfectly fine method of transport.'

Harry looked at him for a second. 'You've never been on the Knight Bus before have you?'

'Well...no, but that's not the point. Look, it was agreed that this was the simplest way to get you to the Burrow without drawing a huge amount of attention, which you can clearly do without.'

'If you say so.'

'Do you know what your problem is?' Harry raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything. 'Your mood, I think it's down to your diet. You don't get nearly enough fruit and vegetables. Why are you looking at me like that?'

'I'm just thinking how best to beat you to death with a rotten cabbage.' But before he could elaborate further, the door of the Knight Bus flew open to reveal the young and pimple-faced conductor, Stan Shunpike.

'Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for...'

'Yes, we've heard it all before,' said Harry.

'Oh,' said Stan, looking rather taken aback. Then he seemed to realise who he was looking at. 'Well, well, if it isn't 'Arry Potter!'

'Yes, it is,' said Cedric, patting Harry on the shoulder. 'He's been telling me how much he's been looking forward to being back on the Knight Bus. So, let's get this trunk on board.'

Cedric lifted up Harry's trunk and carried it up the steps on to the bus. Harry followed, pausing when he passed Stan. 'I don't suppose you've got any cabbage anywhere on this bus do you?'

* * *

><p>Within five minutes, they had safely stowed Harry's trunk in one of the luggage areas and the Knight Bus had moved off again with a loud bang, which had thrown Cedric backwards on to one of the beds. Harry howled with laughter as Cedric struggled to stand up again. 'Perhaps we'd better stay sat down,' Harry suggested and dragged Cedric down again. 'For your own safety.'<p>

'Yes, thank you Harry,' replied Cedric, through gritted teeth. 'I'm just taking a moment to get used to this...unique method of transport.'

'That it is sir,' said Stan, seemingly having failed entirely to miss the irony in Cedric's voice. 'You know, this old thing's been running for twenty years now.'

'Has it really?' said Cedric, clearly feigning interest. 'Get a lot of people coming back after their first trip do you?' Harry tried not to giggle at the sarcasm in Cedric's voice.

'We sure do,' replied Stan. 'Anyway, I'll go and get you your hot chocolates.' With that, he moved off back down the bus, leaving Harry and Cedric alone on their bed. Harry looked around and saw that they were the only two on this floor of the bus, although a loud hacking cough from somewhere above them told him that they were not the only passengers.

The moment Stan had moved out of view, Cedric grabbed Harry and started to kiss him fiercely. Although momentarily taken aback, Harry soon got over the shock and started reciprocating. He had missed the taste of Cedric's mouth, and the feel of his hands as they snaked around Harry's back. 'God, I've missed you so much,' whispered Cedric, and Harry gave a muffled affirmative noise as he redoubled his efforts to kiss the life out of his boyfriend. After a minute or so, they broke apart.

'Well, I feel better now,' said Cedric, and he leaned back on the bed. Harry lay back too, just in time it turned out as the bus gave another lurch and jumped from their current location to another. Everything shook for a moment, and then they were moving normally again.

'My God, I can't believe it's been nearly four weeks since I've seen you properly,' said Harry. 'If I'd had to stay at the Dursleys' any longer, I think I'd have gone completely bonkers.'

'I'm sorry,' muttered Cedric, turning on his side to look at him. 'But you remember what Dumbledore said. He insisted that you go back to there for at least the start of the holidays. I'd have come and seen you sooner but my parents whisked us off on holiday basically as soon as I got back from Hogwarts.'

'I know,' said Harry. 'Doesn't mean I haven't missed you like crazy though.' Cedric grinned and pecked him on the lips. 'How was Norway by the way?'

'Oh, it's such a beautiful country Harry. But it was great spending some time with my family. They really wanted to take the time to just talk to me you know. Find out about you, about everything that's been happening. My Dad was a little uptight about the whole thing to start with, but I think by the end of the holiday he was beginning to see how wonderful you were.'

'Really?'

'Well, maybe that's a bit far. But we're definitely in a better place now than we were a few months ago.'

'What, you mean when an ancient and deadly sentient spell from the time of the Founders was luring you to the Ministry while pretending to be your father in order to kill us?'

'Exactly.' Harry smiled and kissed Cedric again. 'You've got a way with words, you know?'

'Thank you,' replied Harry. 'Although you should know that I haven't missed your use of irony. It's about as funny as Snape doing stand-up.'

'Oh you,' said Cedric. 'You're always so charming. Do you know, now that you're going to Ron's house and I live only a few miles away, I think we'll be seeing a lot more of each from now on.'

'I think you could be right,' said Harry, grinning. 'And I think we'll be able to go flying together in that little orchard near Ron's house. We haven't been flying together in a long time you know.'

'No, not since,' began Cedric, and gestured down to his side, where he had been injured on the Quidditch pitch only a few months previously. 'But that sounds like an excellent idea. Do you know something, for someone who's supposed to be dead, I'm suddenly feeling full of energy.'

'Don't talk like that Cedric,' said Harry. 'You're clearly not supposed to be dead. Whatever happened in that graveyard, whatever it was that saved us from Voldemort...'

'I guess we'll never know,' replied Cedric. 'You're just jealous because you can't claim to be the only person to have survived a Killing Curse now. Although, in my case, no one actually knows about it.'

'Oh, shush,' said Harry. 'Let's not talk about that. Dumbledore will get to the bottom of it.'

'I suppose,' replied Cedric, and he rolled back over to face the ceiling. 'Do you think we'll make it in one piece to the Burrow?'

'Who knows?' said Harry. 'But at least we'll know that I didn't inconvenience anyone by having to come and collect me. Apart from you of course.'

Cedric turned over to face him again. 'You're never an inconvenience Harry. Trust me on that.' They kissed again, and Harry rested his head on Cedric's chest, feeling truly comfortable for the first time in several weeks.


	3. Chapter 2 - Reunions

**Author Notes – **I've been planning a chapter like this for a while, and the whole Ron and Hermione situation will feature more prominently in this story than it did in the last one. Who knows, it might even be important to the main plot!...Anyway, as always, thank you for all readers, and please review and share. The next chapter hopefully will be up soon and it's going to be a fun one.

**Rating** – T.

**Note – **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, that privilege belongs to JK Rowling.

**CHAPTER TWO**

_**Reunions**_

The usually quiet streets of Ottery St. Catchpole were disturbed by the sudden appearance of a gigantic triple-decker purple bus that seemed to tear a hole in the air itself and force its way through on to the main high street. This event, unique as it was to this small village on the outskirts of Devon, passed largely unnoticed by the Muggle population of the town, who went about their evening's business as though nothing had happened.

On board the Knight Bus, Harry and Cedric were collecting their things together, ready to leave behind this particular nightmarish experience. 'Well, now at least you can say you've been on the Knight Bus,' said Harry jovially, and Cedric grinned at him. 'In fact I doubt you'll travel by any other method of transport again.'

'Well, we've still not made it to Ron's yet,' replied Cedric, as the bus gave another violent lurch as it turned a particularly sharp corner. 'So you may yet be right.'

Harry looked out the window and his spirits lifted immeasurably by the sight of the many-storied house that was the Burrow. It looked as shabby and run-down as ever, but Harry couldn't help but feel a thrill of excitement whenever he set eyes upon it. Apart from Hogwarts, it was the place where he felt most at home, mainly for the people who lived inside.

The Knight Bus slowed to a halt, or rather Ernie slammed the brakes on as hard as he could and the Bus came to an immediate stop, pitching both Harry and Cedric forward on to the floor. 'That's it!' cried Cedric, as he sat up, rubbing his shin. 'I need to go home!'

Harry couldn't help but laugh as he picked himself off the ground and together, he and Cedric carried Harry's trunk off the Bus and on to the gravel driveway of the Burrow. Harry turned and waved to Stan and Ernie before the Knight Bus turned, in a circle that was impossibly small given its size, and disappeared again with another loud crack. 'Welcome home Harry,' said Cedric. Harry smiled widely and kissed Cedric on the lips.

'Now, now,' came a stern voice from behind them. 'We'll have none of that canoodling in this house.' Harry turned to see Mrs Weasley walked towards, a warm smile on her face. 'Hello Harry dear.' She pulled him into a hug. 'It's so good to see you.'

'You too Mrs Weasley,' said Harry, though his voice was somewhat muffled by the hug. 'Thank you for agreeing to put up with me again.'

'Not at all dear,' replied Molly, as she finally let him go again. 'It's always a pleasure. To see you and Cedric.' She beckoned them inside, and they followed her, Cedric carrying Harry's trunk.

The three of them walked through the door into the kitchen. Assembled around the table were the entire Weasley clan, apart from Charlie, who Harry supposed was still busy in Romania. They all gave shouts of delight when they saw Harry and Cedric, and one by one rushed forward to shake their hands and welcome them. Ron remained seated at the table, and he and Harry simply grinned at each other by way of greeting.

'Sit down won't you boys,' said Molly, gesturing to two of the empty chairs at the far side of the large kitchen table. 'Dinner will be ready in a few minutes if you're hungry.'

'Starving,' said Harry, and Cedric rolled his eyes. 'What? Just because Mrs Weasley's a better cook than you.'

'Now, now dear,' replied Molly, her cheeks going a little red. 'I'm sure Cedric is an excellent chef.'

Just as Harry and Cedric took their seats, the kitchen door opened and Hermione walked in. 'Sorry everyone,' she said. 'I got caught up-

'Reading a book,' finished Harry, which caused Hermione to spin round and look at him. She gave a small squeal of delight and hurried forward to give him a hug. 'Nice to see you,' continued Harry, after she had released him.

'Oh Harry, it's so good to see you,' said Hermione, but Harry couldn't help notice that her eyes were a little puffy, as though she had been crying very recently. He decided not to comment, however, as there would be plenty of time to ask about that later. 'I'd completely forgotten you were arriving this evening.'

'Well, considering the mode of transport we used,' said Cedric, who smiled warmly as Hermione looked at him. 'I'm very surprised we made it all the way here.'

'We came by Knight Bus,' said Harry, by way of explanation, and Hermione nodded to indicate her understanding. 'Honestly, I've never heard Cedric complain so much.'

'Nonsense, of course you have. Whenever you start singing,' supplied Cedric, and the table roared with laughter. Hermione, however, had not laughed and was just looking at them both fondly and Harry was certain now that something had upset her. He looked over at Ron and saw that they were carefully avoiding each other's gaze.

A few minutes later the entire family and guests were tucking into one of Mrs Weasley's delicious homemade lasagnes. Mostly there was contended silence, but occasional smatterings of conversation broke out. 'So Harry,' said Arthur, as Mrs Weasley began to clear the plates and prepare dessert. 'How are you doing?'

'Erm, fine thanks,' replied Harry, slightly surprised by Mr Weasley's formal tone. 'You know, four weeks with my Aunt and Uncle is never exactly a laugh a minute, but they mostly keep out my way these days.'

'I see,' said Arthur. 'I'm only asking because after everything that happened in the Ministry and after.' He looked pointedly at Cedric. 'I just wanted you to know that we're all here if you ever need to talk about any of it.'

'Thank you,' said Harry, still feeling confused. 'But as I can't remember a great deal of it, I'm not sure talking about it is really an option.'

'Could be worse,' cut in Cedric. 'You could have been killed.' There was a small chuckle of laughter that went around the table, but Harry didn't laugh. He just looked at Cedric reprovingly, who quickly looked back down at his plate. Harry didn't like to be reminded of how close he had come to losing Cedric, or indeed how he had been powerless to stop whatever it was that had happened from happening. The fact that Cedric had been hit by a Killing Curse right under his nose, while he stood paralysed to the spot, was not something he particularly wanted to think about.

'Well now,' said Mrs Weasley, clearly sensing the slight tension that had descended on the table. 'Who wants apple crumble?'

* * *

><p>When they had finished eating, the plates disappeared and everyone moved to the living room to spend the rest of the evening in front of the fire. Harry spent most of the evening chatting with Fred and George, who were telling him a great deal about their plans for a new joke shop in a quiet corner of the room. Cedric and Ron were talking Quidditch, but Hermione was sat apart from the main group, just staring into the fire. Harry wanted to go and talk to her, but he knew that this would be the wrong time. He felt bad; he was supposed to be Hermione's friend and she was clearly upset, but there was very little he could do about it.<p>

It was beginning to dark outside when Cedric stood up from the armchair in which he had been sitting. 'Right, I'd better head home,' he announced to the room. 'My parents will be expecting me.' They all said goodbye to Cedric, and Harry walked with him to the front door. 'Are you all right Harry?' asked Cedric. 'I'm sorry about my joke earlier, it wasn't funny.'

'It's fine,' Harry lied quickly, not wanting to upset Cedric unnecessarily. 'I'm just worried about Hermione, that's all. She's looked unhappy all evening and isn't really talking to anyone.'

'Yeah, I noticed that too. I'm sure she'll be fine Harry, you've just got to talk to her.'

'You're right,' said Harry, pulling Cedric into a hug. 'Now that I've got you back, it's a right bastard that I've got to say goodbye so quickly.'

'Hey now,' said Cedric, kissing Harry on the top of his head. 'I'll be back again tomorrow. And even better,' he continued, and Harry could tell that he was smiling at this point. 'My parents are out tomorrow evening so we'll have the house to ourselves if we want to make use of it.'

They broke apart and Harry looked into Cedric's face. 'I think that might be a very good idea,' he said, and they kissed. 'Right, go on then. Off you go before I try and tear your clothes off right here and now. See you tomorrow.' Cedric kissed him on the lips once more and then headed out of the front door into the darkening night.

Harry returned to the living room to find that everyone was on the move. 'Time for bed Harry,' said Molly. 'You'll be sharing with Ron as usual.' Harry nodded and he, Ron and Hermione began to ascend the stairs to Ron's small bedroom near the top of the house.

Harry was looking forward to the opportunity to talk to the two of them without anyone else there, but when they reached the corridor that led to Ginny's room, Hermione suddenly announced, 'Right, this is my stop. I'm going to get an early night.' Harry looked at her sadly, and she gave him a small smile. 'I'll see you both in the morning.' She gave Ron an incomprehensible look and then disappeared into Ginny's room.

Harry and Ron continued the rest of the way to his room in silence. Very little had changed in there, Harry noticed when they arrived. The walls were still a bright orange and the entire room was decorated with memorabilia of Ron's favourite Quidditch team, the Chudleigh Cannons.

As soon as the door had closed, Harry turned to Ron, 'What have you done?'

'What do you mean?' asked Ron, looking at Harry with nothing short of alarm on his face.

'Hermione, why is she upset?' Harry continued, determined to get to the bottom of what had happened between them.

'I don't know what you mean Harry,' said Ron, but Harry just raised his eyebrows and gave Ron a look that told him in no uncertain terms to stop bullshitting. 'Oh all right,' Ron said in the end, and collapsed on to his bed. 'I...er...accidentally kissed Hermione.'

'Really?'

Ron sighed heavily. 'Yeah, earlier this afternoon.'

'Accidentally?'

'Yes.'

'I don't understand. What do you mean accidentally, did you trip over or something?'

Ron gave a choked sound, which could either have been a laugh, or a cry of anguish, Harry wasn't entirely sure which. 'No,' he spluttered. 'It just sort of happened. We were talking about how much we were looking forward to seeing you. Hermione was talking about everything that happened to you last year and getting upset. I put my arm around her and then before I knew it, we were kissing.'

'And don't tell me,' said Harry. 'You reacted to this situation like a calm, rational being and talked it through like adults?'

Ron gave a small smile. 'No, of course not. I completely freaked out and started apologising like mad. Then we got into this big argument, because I said it was an accident, and Hermione took that to mean that I hadn't wanted it to happen.'

'Did you want it to happen?'

'Oh, I don't know. Yes, I suppose I did. But not like that. She was upset and not really thinking straight. And I just sort of acted impulsively.'

'I see,' said Harry. 'Well, this little trip to the Burrow has started well already. First, I get upset at Cedric for making jokes about him nearly being killed, and now you're arguing with Hermione.'

'Speaking of Cedric, I don't suppose you're any closer to finding out what...' but Ron broke off when Harry shook his head.

'No, fraid not,' said Harry. 'I haven't heard from Dumbledore all summer. He said he was going to investigate, but I've no idea whether he's found anything or not.'

'Oh,' said Ron. 'That's a bummer.' Harry just nodded.

'Well, I suppose it could be worse. At least I haven't got to go and introduce myself to Cedric's parents.' Ron shifted uncomfortably on the bed and Harry looked at him, a horrible thought forming in his mind. 'What was that?'

'Nothing,' said Ron quickly, but he was a terrible liar.

'Please don't tell me Cedric is planning to introduce me to his parents any time soon,' said Harry. When Ron didn't respond, he sighed. 'Kill me now.'


	4. Chapter 3 - The Best Laid Plans

**Author Notes** – I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter, as I don't want Harry and Cedric's relationship to be entirely plain sailing from now on. Incidentally (for those interested in my life), I spent my teenage years living in the town of Ottery St Mary, which fans are 99% sure provided the inspiration for the name Ottery St Catchpole while JK Rowling was at the University of Exeter. Apologies for the delay in updating but please review and share as always.

**Rating** – T.

**Note – **I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, that privilege belongs to JK Rowling.

**CHAPTER THREE**

_**The Best Laid Plans**_

'Oh for goodness sake Harry, just pick something would you?' said Hermione with exasperation.

Harry scowled at her and threw another shirt back into his trunk. He was searching through all his clothes, trying to find the ones he thought would be best for his dinner with Cedric's parents. He had casually asked Hermione to help him with this task and she had agreed, but half an hour later, they were both beginning to regret it.

'This is important Hermione,' said Harry, picking up another shirt from Ron's wardrobe and walking over to the mirror in the corner of the room. 'I've got to look good or...'

'Or what?' asked Hermione. 'Are you afraid that Cedric will stop loving you because you're wearing a shirt that's just too lime green?'

'Don't be absurd,' replied Harry. 'I wouldn't be seen dead in a lime green shirt.' That made the corners of Hermione's mouth twitch a little but she maintained her despairing expression. 'Anyway, helping me pick out a shirt wasn't the only reason I invited you up here.'

'Oh God,' said Hermione. 'You're not about to declare your undying love for me are you?'

'Damn, you've seen through my cunning plan. No,' he said, but was unsure of how to continue. He had managed to get little else out of Ron since the previous evening about what had happened between him and Hermione. It seemed that after a moment of letting their guards down, they had both reverted to pretending that nothing was going on. 'It's about Ron.'

There was a moment of silence. 'You know I've just remembered that Mrs Weasley wanted me for something,' said Hermione and she tried to make her way to the door, but Harry blocked her path.

'Oh no you don't,' said Harry. 'I've had enough of this avoidance and pedantry from the pair of you.'

She sighed and sat down on the bed. 'Look, there's nothing to tell you Harry. Ron and I were in his room talking about how much we were looking forward to seeing you.' She paused and Harry nodded his head. 'And then I said how scared I was when we came close to losing you and Cedric in June.' She paused again.

Harry sat down on the bed next to her. 'Go on.'

'And before I knew what was happening...we were kissing. We'd never done that before.' Harry raised his eyebrows in disbelief. 'Oh, all right, maybe we had. But this was different. It really felt like there was something there. But then the moment just sort of...went.'

'Hermione,' Harry said, putting a hand on her shoulder. 'What exactly do you want?'

'I don't know,' she said, her expression miserable. 'I look at you and Cedric and you're just so perfect for each other. But me and Ron, we argue and fight all the time.'

'Yes...and?' said Harry. 'Listen to me Hermione. No two people are ever perfect for each other. Cedric and I went through all kinds of shit before we ended up together. And we still argue a lot. But we love each other. And that's the important thing.'

She smiled and Harry smiled back. 'You're right. Yes, of course you are. I'll talk to Ron, I promise.'

'Good. Now let's find the right shirt before we end up killing each other.'

Twenty minutes later, and after several more mini arguments, Harry and Hermione were sitting in the kitchen of the Burrow, waiting for Cedric to arrive. Harry had finally found an outfit he was happy with; he was wearing his smartest pair of jeans and a light blue striped shirt that he had once bought as a birthday present to himself. Although, if he was being honest, he would have felt uncomfortable in whatever he was wearing. After everything that had happened between Cedric and his father last year, Harry could not help wondering whether Cedric's father still disapproved of their relationship.

'It's going to be fine Harry,' said Hermione soothingly and Harry gave her a weak smile. 'Cedric's parents are going to be charmed by you in exactly the same way that the Weasleys were.'

'Yeah, though I think it's easier to charm someone's parents when you're not shagging their only child,' Harry replied.

'Don't be so vulgar,' said Hermione. 'You know what I mean.'

At that moment there was a knock on the kitchen door. Harry felt a sudden thrill of nervousness as he realised that Cedric had arrived to collect him. Hermione gave him a look before getting up and opening the kitchen door.

'Hello there,' said Cedric cheerfully to Hermione as he walked through the door, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. 'You look delightful as always Hermione.'

'Thank you Cedric,' replied Hermione, a slight tinge of pink appearing in her cheeks. 'I'll leave you two alone now. Have a good evening.' And with that, she left the kitchen.

'Evening gorgeous,' said Cedric, bending down to kiss Harry on the lips. 'You look stunning as well.'

'Thank you Ced,' replied Harry, and Cedric frowned. Harry knew perfectly well that Cedric hated the name "Ced" and so Harry only used it to annoy him. 'You look disturbingly hot yourself. But then again you'd probably look hot if you were wearing just a bin bag.'

'Mmm, I'll probably take that as a compliment,' said Cedric. 'Come on, mustn't keep the in-laws waiting.' He grinned and Harry punched it in the arm softly.

'Oi, less of the in-laws thing if you don't mind. While I'm definitely not ruling it out, we're certainly not getting married yet.' Harry thought for a moment. 'That's a point, can gay people even get married in the wizarding world? They sure as hell can't in the Muggle world.'

'Well we can blame John Major for that,' said Cedric and Harry raised his eyebrows. 'Yes, I follow Muggle politics. It's a hobby of mine. We all know Tony Blair's going to be the next Prime Minister anyway.'

'Well that's...reassuring,' replied Harry. 'Anyway, you still haven't answered my question.'

'The Ministry of Magic will issue marriage bonds for gay couples,' said Cedric. 'Though there's some significant opposition to that among the more...Slytherin elements of the Government.'

'You do surprise me,' replied Harry. 'Well that's good to know anyway. At least we won't be living in sin forever...Never mind,' he finished, looking at Cedric's confused expression.

'Shall we go?' asked Cedric, offering Harry his head, who took it, and together they walked out of the Burrow. The route to Cedric's house took them through the village of Ottery St Catchpole. Harry had actually spent very little time in the village itself, but it was like many villages in Devon: small and quaint, and with many friendly and familiar faces for those that lived there. Several people smiled and greeted Cedric as they walked through the village and one of them even stopped for a chat with him, with Harry hanging back slightly to avoid the awkward introductions.

After a few minutes, they emerged on the other side of the village and started walking down an old and cracked road that would take them to the large house in the depths of the countryside where the Diggory family lived. As they were walking, Harry looked to his left and saw an old graveyard and a church. He felt suddenly cold inside, and had a flashback to the dark graveyard that Cedric and he had found themselves only a few months previously. He felt his hands go slightly clammy.

'Nearly there now,' said Cedric, smiling at him, though his expression betrayed a little of the nervousness that Harry felt. 'Now remember, my parents are just like any others. They want to know that you're polite, interesting and have good prospects. So this is likely to be a disaster from the start.'

'Oi, less of that if you don't mind,' said Harry. 'I'll have you know I've got excellent prospects. Being the Boy Who Lived is bound to help in job interviews.'

'Maybe, but the rate at which people keep trying to kill you may mean that you're just too big a liability to be employable.'

'If anything, that proves both my survival skills and my resourcefulness. Besides I'm still thinking about becoming an Auror.'

'You say that but you'll end up in some boring administrative job in the Ministry. You'll do anything for a quiet life. I think I should become an Auror.'

'Erm, definitely not. You're far too attractive to end up looking like Mad-Eye Moody.' Cedric snorted. 'And anyway, you're definitely Ministry material. You'll probably end up being Minister for Magic. Seems anyone can do that job these days.'

'Thank you, you're backhanded compliments are always the sweetest. Anyway, we've arrived.' Harry started and looked straight ahead. He had been so engrossed in their conversation that he had forgotten where they were going. Ahead of them was a large wooden gate and beyond it a beautiful three-storey house. It had lots of extra rooms dotted on to the sides like the Burrow but it had none of the Burrow's shabbiness, it was pristinely decorated and maintained.

'Home sweet home,' said Cedric, opening the gate and leading Harry through the front garden, which was also beautifully maintained, with many flowers and herbs that Harry recognised from some of his Herbology lessons, and to the front door. 'Now then,' continued Cedric, straightening his tie slightly. 'Just be yourself. And if you can't manage that, just be like me.'

'Sound advice if ever I heard it,' said Harry, as he followed Cedric over the threshold into the house.

Half an hour later, they were all sat in the large dining room, with the expertly cooked meal that Mr Diggory had prepared. Cedric had told Harry how his father thoroughly enjoyed cooking and always relished the chance to try some of his dishes on someone new. Harry thought the fact that he had merited some of Mr Diggory's cooking was a positive start to the proceedings.

'So Harry,' said Mrs Diggory sweetly. 'How are your studies going?'

Harry swallowed the mouth full of mash potato he was eating and coughed a little. All evening he had developed a habit of descending into small coughing fits whenever either of Cedric's parents asked him a question. 'Fine,' he said, taking a sip of water from his goblet. 'I'll never be as academically gifted Cedric here but I hope to get some good results in my OWLs.'

'Oh you're being much too modest Harry,' said Cedric. 'You're a brilliant student...when you put your mind to it.' Harry flashed him a look and they both laughed. 'Harry does have a tendency to become distracted by other things,' Cedric continued to his parents.

'Oh yes,' said Mr Diggory sternly. 'Such as?'

Cedric stopped smiling and looked down at his plate. 'Oh, you know, Quidditch and stuff.' Harry felt his stomach sink a little. Perhaps it wasn't going to be as easy to win over Cedric's father as he had hoped.

Mrs Diggory gave her husband a reproving look. 'We understand of course dear. We were young once. And Amos here was always a fine flyer at school.'

'Cedric told me,' said Harry, keen to move the conversation forward and deciding that Mrs Diggory would most likely be more receptive to his attempts at charm. 'And what about you Mrs Diggory, were you ever a flyer?'

'Oh, I tried once or twice,' she said, with a small laugh. 'But I could never stay on the broom long enough to make it very far off the ground.'

Harry smiled. 'Well the Ravenclaw team at school is quite formidable these days. Cedric's friend Cho is the Seeker at the moment.'

'Yes we've met her,' said Mr Diggory. 'A lovely girl.' He gave Cedric a pointed look and then returned to his dinner. Harry didn't need any translation for what that look had meant. It was clear that Mr Diggory would greatly prefer it if it was Cho that was sat at the dinner table instead of Harry.

There was a few moments of silence. 'Have you finished dear?' asked Mrs Diggory to Harry.

'Yes thank you,' replied Harry. 'Let me help you with the clearing up.'

'No, don't you worry about it,' said Mrs Diggory. 'I'll deal with everything.' She took out her wand and waved it once, such that the plates and cutlery all vanished from the table.

'I'll go and sort out the dessert,' said Mr Diggory stiffly, getting to his feet and heading towards the door that led to the kitchen.

'I'll come with you,' said Cedric, a hard expression on his handsome face. He followed his father out of the room, leaving Harry and Mrs Diggory alone at the table.

'I'm sorry about Amos, dear,' said Mrs Diggory, giving him a small smile. 'It's taking him a while to readjust to the situation. And he's ever so protective of Cedric, he doesn't mean any offence.'

Harry couldn't really think of anything to say to that. What exactly had he been expecting when he had come here? He had known perfectly well that Cedric's father disapproved of their relationship, he had expected that to change quite so quickly after everything that had happened? 'I understand,' he said in the end. 'You've no idea how terrified I was when we thought I'd lost him in that graveyard. We really do love each other Mrs Diggory.'

She smiled again. 'I can see that from the way you look at each other. Thank you Harry, you've made my only son happier than I ever could have thought possible.'

At that moment, there was a loud crash from the kitchen and the sound of shouting. Both Harry and Mrs Diggory jumped to their feet and made for the kitchen door. As it opened they saw Cedric and Mr Diggory standing ten feet apart and a large glass dish lying broken on the floor between them.

'What was that comment about Cho supposed to mean?' shouted Cedric, his face bright red as he stared furiously at his father.

'I think you know what that meant!' replied Mr Diggory, who looked equally as angry. 'Why couldn't you have just fallen in love with her?'

'Because I'm gay, Dad,' said Cedric, pausing on every word for emphasis. 'You could have introduced me to the most beautiful and intelligent young witch in the world and I still wouldn't have fallen for her, because I'm not attracted to women!'

'How do you know that? Have you even tried to have a relationship with a woman? You might find that this is just a...just a...'

'Don't tell me this is a phase!' Cedric shouted, and Harry had never seen him so furious. 'I've known I was gay since the age of nine! And so have you!'

Mr Diggory turned to see Harry and Mrs Diggory watching them. 'Oh...' he said, and the colour began to drain from his face. 'I didn't see you there.'

'If you'll excuse me,' said Cedric, turning his back on his father. 'Harry, do you think Mr and Mrs Weasley will mind if I stay at the Burrow tonight?'

'Erm...' said Harry, but Cedric's expression told him that it was little use trying to disagree with him. 'I think that should be fine.'

'Then we should be going.' He walked over the door and guided Harry back through to the dining room, pausing momentarily to talk to his mother. 'I'm sorry, I'll be back tomorrow.' And with that, he led Harry out through the dining room and back out the front door.

'Well that could have gone better,' said Cedric, as he closed the front gate behind them.

'I thought you said that your father was more OK with it now.'

Cedric sighed. 'I'm sorry Harry, I told you that because I honestly wanted to believe it was true. We've been arguing like that for weeks. I thought that if he met you properly then he might begin to see what you meant to me. Boy was that a stupid idea.' He buried his head in his hands for a moment.

Harry reached up, pulled Cedric's hands away from his face, and planted a kiss on his lips. 'I'm sorry about what happened. But we will make this right between you and your parents. I promise.'

Cedric smiled and kissed him again. 'Now come on,' said Harry. 'Let's get back to the Burrow.'


End file.
